NEW YORK, Oct 5 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Hurricane
Matthew, which slammed into Haiti this week, has created the
worst humanitarian crisis in the impoverished nation since a
devastating earthquake hit six years ago, according to the
United Nations.

The storm ripped through Haiti on Tuesday, causing heavy
flooding and knocking down houses.

The full impact remained unclear, however, with
communications down in many of the worst-affected areas.

Here are what some of the world's leading aid agencies
expect will be humanitarian needs in Haiti in the storm's wake.
Helene Robin, Handicap International's head of emergency
operations:

"Initial information reaching us is worrying. Many affected
people have lost their homes, crops, and livestock. We will have
to face a logistical challenge to reach these very remote areas
and provide humanitarian assistance which these isolated
populations need. We also fear that the floods caused by
Hurricane Matthew entail substantial health risks such as the
spread of cholera."
Carlos Veloso, World Food Programme's country director:

"Because of the severity in the south, we expect that
certain roads will be closed and we need to repair them
immediately. The second big challenge will be the access to
populations in the mountains in the south. Normally access here
is not easy, and with a hurricane the strength of Matthew it
will become more difficult."
Sylvie Savard, country representative in the joint office of the
Lutheran World Federation and Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe in
Haiti:

"The most affected groups are those most vulnerable living
in areas along the coast, in low lying areas or close to steep
slopes. Many people, especially in rural areas, live in poorly
constructed homes that could not stand up to the winds and
rains. People have been evacuated to save their lives, but the
storm and the floods will have swept away what little they
have."
Jean Claude Fignole, Oxfam's influence program director in
Haiti:

"Our first response will concentrate on saving lives by
providing safe water and hygiene kits to avoid the spread of
cholera. Right now there are at least 10,000 people displaced
from their homes and in need of safe shelter, water and food."
Ravi Tripptrap, Malteser International Americas' executive
director:

"The floods have been particularly damaging in the slum
community of Cité Soleil. Sewage canals are overflowing and
filling the streets with garbage and human waste; make-shift
shanty homes have been washed away. This is where our help is
needed."
(Reporting by Sebastien Malo, Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst.
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